HDBaseT® is a connectivity standard that enables the use of a single category cable to offer HD video, audio, Ethernet, controls, USB 2.0 and power. Transmission of data according to the HDBaseT® standard comes with several benefits that include time-sensitive transmissions, low delays and low latency. Legacy Ethernet networks are widely deployed, in both the consumer and industrial settings. Thus, it would be advantageous to utilize Ethernet networks to extend the scope of HDBaseT® networks. For example, this could extend HDBaseT® from in-room to cross-campus applications, and leverage existing pro-AV installations and interfaces to achieve end-to-end system optimization and reduced total cost of ownership.
However, HDBaseT® is based on a different protocol that basic Ethernet network equipment cannot work with. Thus, HDBaseT® data cannot be transmitted “as is” over a standard Ethernet/IP network. Therefore, there is a need to provide a way to transmit HDBaseT® data over a legacy Ethernet networks without requiring the networks to utilize non-standard equipment.
Most approaches known in the art for forward error correction (FEC) are applied to complete blocks of a known size. The assumption of transmission of complete blocks of data holds in many scenarios (e.g., streaming of video data). However, in some cases, incomplete blocks of data may be transmitted, or blocks of data for which there is not a fixed transmission pattern, such as in transmissions of USB data. For example, with USB transmissions it may not be immediately apparent whether additional packets are to be transmitted (which will add up to fill a complete block). However, known FEC approaches require accumulation of a complete blocks of packets in order to perform FEC. If a complete block of packets is not transmitted, the receiving end of a system may be in a waiting state until all the packets it is expecting are received, which can introduce unwanted delays and a lack of timely transmission of certain packets. Thus, there is a need for an adaptive FEC mechanism that can be applied to incomplete blocks of packets.